


Letter To Tadashi

by jab_a_niece



Series: Letter To... [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:13:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28929333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jab_a_niece/pseuds/jab_a_niece
Series: Letter To... [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1781803
Kudos: 3





	Letter To Tadashi

Yamaguchi has been staring at it for a whole minute now, the purple envelope resting motionlessly on his pillow. He'd planned to wait for the other boys to go to sleep before reading the letter inside.

He hadn't expected Coach Ukai to call him out earlier to talk with him in private. Even more surprising was that he'd been called only to be given a piece of envelope. Yamaguchi was confused at first. He couldn't think of a reason why his coach would hand him an envelope until he saw the name written on it. 

_Shimada Makoto._

Yamaguchi never thought that Shimada would return him one considering how long it had taken him to finally send a reply. Well, it hadn't been that long actually. Only a month or two had passed since he sent the letter to his mentor, but Yamaguchi couldn't help thinking that Shimada might have forgotten about it.

Lying down on his stomach, he slowly opened the flap, careful not to tear the beautiful piece of envelope. It was his first letter he got from someone, even though he had to shamelessly ask for his mentor to reply at the end of the letter.

He traced his phone along the sentences, the light from the screen illuminating the words in the dark. Shimada's handwriting was cursive yet neat, Yamaguchi briefly noted in his head as he began reading the letter.

.

.

.

_Tadashi,_

_I've read the letter you wrote me. I apologise for taking such a long time to reply. I wanted to return a response as soon as you sent me your letter, but letter writing was a lot harder than I'd remember and I ended up taking longer than expected. You made it seem so easy, though I believe you took a great deal of time alone to write that letter as you put all your feelings and thoughts into it._

_I didn't want to give something half-hearted because you don't deserve that(no one does), so I had set aside some time to think carefully. To think of the right words that can express how much of a blessing it has been teaching you something I'm passionate about._

_Before I begin though, I thought I should respond to your concerns first._

_I've been feeling great. The business is doing very well. More customers are coming to the store on the daily. And Karasuno had just won against Inarizaki. I can't feel any better at this point. I hope you feel the same._

_Anyway, there are a few things I'd like to deliver to you. And as a mentor, I suppose I could start off by providing an overview of how much you've improved over the months._

_I'll try make this simple and concise:_

_YOU WERE AMAZING OUT THERE!_

_I'm not sure if you'd heard it among the crowd, but everyone was really impressed by your serves. They kept talking about you. They called you "the boy with the super cool serve". They didn't know those were called jump floaters so I corrected them. Also, Yusuke said that I brag about you too much. So you know what I told him? I said, "Tadashi is my student and I get to brag about him whenever I want." He didn't say anything afterwards. I think it was effective in shutting him up._

_On a serious note, I can see that your aiming is a lot more precise now. And it looks like you're already able to get the ball to go to where you want it to go. That's a major improvement that you should be really proud of!_

_There's still room for improvement, and I'm sure you know it, but you're one of the most hardworking and determined person I know, so I can expect that you'll progress tremendously by the next few months. Maybe you'll even be the best jump float server in Japan, who knows? :)_

_What I think is more important, though, is how much you've grown as a person. We both first met each other when I was invited to have a friendly match against your school team. Even though you didn't leave a lasting impression on me(no one left a strong impression on me, really, apart from Kageyama and Hinata), I knew that you were struggling with self-esteem issues. It's really not that hard to tell apart those who are confident and those who are not, and you made it painfully obvious that you belonged in the second category._

_I didn't think I would leave an influence strong enough for anyone to remember me, but there you were standing at the door to my store one night in your training attire. I thought you were just one of those schoolboys who came to get some late night drinks._

_But then you started explaining things, and I realised that it was me you were looking for._

_You shared your struggles with me, about how you wanted to be more useful to the team and play on the court more often. I could hear the sadness and fatigue in your voice, yet your eyes were shining with hope and determination. I didn't know such a thing was possible, but the sight I was greeted with that night was unmistakable._

_I've never told you this before, or maybe I have? I don't know. My memory is getting worse and my back is hurting a lot these days from carrying all the heavy boxes. Is this what it feels like to be old? Well, anyway, back to where I was. Seeing you like that reminded me of myself back when I was in high school. I was also a pinch server like you and my jersey number was 11 just like Tsukki's, so I know exactly how you felt to be left behind and having to put in more effort than anyone else to catch up with your teammates._

_You wrote in your letter about how you were afraid that I might turn you down. But how could I ever say no to you? Turning you down would've been like turning my back against my younger self. And it seemed like you had no one else to turn to for help, so you had to approach a mere shop owner as the last resort. Believe me or not, I take no offence to that. It just shows how important it is that I agree to help you._

_Seeing you becoming more confident of yourself is truly rewarding. I guess this is what people mean when they say that teaching can be a real blessing; the joy of seeing you becoming a more confident person with my very own eyes is something I wouldn't trade anything else with. In comparison, it would be like watching a Sakura flower slowly going into full bloom. You might've failed to do the serve during the Summer Inter-High, but you pleasantly surprised everyone during the Spring finals._

_Keishin also shared with me how you're no longer afraid of stepping into the court when the team needs you. I think that's a really huge leap from what you used to be; the boy who underestimated himself too much._

_I have a reminder to give you though(everyone needs reminders once in a while)._

_If you ever feel down or start to doubt your own skills whenever things don't turn out the way you wanted them to be, remember that even the best players make mistakes. And even the best players can feel down. Think of Miya Atsumu(or was it Osamu?) when he did the home run serve earlier. Think of Oikawa when he served out of the court during the semi-finals back in Miyagi. You know why these happened? It's because they let their emotions get the best of them and affect their performance._

_y advice for now is to always keep calm and look for reset points. Anything that can keep you grounded will do. I know you were taught to look for only one reset point, but what happened during the match earlier was unprecedented. It was a simple setback. But what do we do when we encounter setbacks? We learn from them so that they won't happen again._

_At the same time, never ever forget that where you stand right now is the result of your own hard work, strength and courage. You have no reason to doubt your own skills after all the time and effort you've put in._

_To end this off, I'd like to thank you too for putting your trust in me. I'm glad I could be someone you turn to when you need emotional support. The gratitude is mutual. I'll continue to do my best to continue being the person you can look up to._

_You're always welcomed to come to me for help or advice. As long as you're not afraid to ask for help, the doors to Shimada Mart will always be opened for you. And don't forget to have plenty of rest. You've worked really hard, and the only thing left for you to do is to show everyone just how worthy of an opponent you are._

_I wish you and your team all the best for the match against Nekoma tomorrow. Yusuke and I will be there to cheer you on._

_Yours Truly,_  
_Shimada Makoto_

_PS. You should try asking Kageyama and Kinoshita to come down to my store on one of the nights. I'd like to see how much you've taught them :)_

.

.

.

"Are you okay, Yamaguchi?"

Yamaguchi has never reacted so quickly in his life. He quickly switched off his phone, folded the letter into half and hid it under his pillow along with the envelope.

He looked up to see Hinata sitting upright on the futon next to him. Yamaguchi couldn't quite see in the dark, but he could feel Hinata's drowsy eyes staring down at him. Hinata probably couldn't see him either.

"Oh, Hinata. I'm sorry. Did I wake you up?"

"Mmm, no... I just thought I heard someone crying..." He yawned a little too loudly, not bothering to cover his mouth. "Why aren't you asleep yet? Daichi would get so mad if he found out you were using your phone instead of sleeping."

"I know. I just couldn't sleep."

"Why? Are you too nervous for tomorrow's match?" There was a slight pause and the soft ruffling sound of his futon ruffling as he shifted closer to Yamaguchi. "Do you need me to accompany you to the bathroom?"

Yamaguchi laughed softly. "There's no need for that. Besides, I can go by myself if I want to."

"Then why can't you sleep?"

Yamaguchi lowered his head and stared at the pillow beneath him. With tear-stained cheeks and glassy eyes, he smiled and replied.

"I'm just really excited for tomorrow."


End file.
